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Le Royaume d'Acadiana
From out of New Orleans comes an army; bringing order and civilization to the hellish bayous of Acadiana, for God and King! The grandeur of the Royaume's aristocrats, and the omnipresence of their Gendarmerie forces in the Big Easy gives many merchants the impression that the Royaume is a monolithic force in southern Louisiana. This is just the image the kingdom's creator and architect, the ever-masked Gendarmerie Director-General; James Saint Just, wants to perpetuate. History The Royaume began as a concept in the mind of James Saint Just; a Francophilic ghoul who once served in the French Foreign Legion during the Resource Wars and later in New Orleans' SWAT team; as a construct to bring security to the viciously dangerous Louisiana wasteland. He believed the authoritarian nature of the feudal structure was necessary, given the scope of the obstacles faced by civilization there. He furthermore believed a modified feudal structure could appease the ambitions of everyone within it: the meek would have the safety they craved, and the powerful would rise to the top. Saint Just knew that the humans in Louisiana would never bow and scrape to a ghoul though, and while he was willing to hide his condition for all time, he knew the monarch would have to be an icon; that would require a pretty face, a gift for words, and able to be controlled by Saint Just. James found what he needed in Jerry; a young, orphaned gigolo working in Vieux Carré. Jerry had no particular qualms regarding befriending a ghoul, and found James to be a good friend; so when the ancient warrior divulged his plan to create a kingdom, he thought it would be a good opportunity to dramatically increase his standard of living. Jerry and James vanished from the public eye while the ghoul taught him to read and fight. He also shared his books with Jerry; who was able to study the great speeches of Old World leaders, the wit of 19th century poets and authors, and the history of monarchies and feudalism. He was then given a nice Pre-War suit by James and took the name Jérôme Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Devereux. James for his part donned the armor and mask that would become iconic of the Director-General. During the course of Jerry's studies; James began assembling an arsenal of arms and armor in the plantation manor he had taken residence in, and started finding like-minded men to help him overthrow the city bosses. There were plenty of willing souls, their motivations ranging from disenfranchisement and idealism to revenge and ambition. After Jerry adopted his Jérôme persona, he and James approached the priests of Jacksonia to seek out their support; offering to make Catholicism the state religion of the Royaume, as well as protection. The duo also sought out the mysterious Architects who had created the new levees, seeking their endorsement and support (especially for the creation of fortifications): the Architects saw merit in bringing greater order to the city, though they sought to remain out of the power structure. After securing allies from the established factions in the city, St. Just remained patient; he drilled his growing retinue in proper squad tactics and battlefield discipline. Meanwhile Jérôme began applying his charms and his lessons in intrigue to suss out the organizations of the various bosses; planting the seeds of defection among their lieutenants and pegging others for assassination. When at last James and Jérôme made their move in the summer of 2242, the bosses didn't know what hit them. St. Just's men were better armed, equipped, and trained than the unruly mobs the bosses threw at them and they were outfoxed at every turn. Most of the fractious bosses were slain, defending their streets and blocks, others fled. Those that remained rallied around Obed Narcisse who managed to break the momentum of the emergent Royaume. St. Just had hoped to push Obed and his lackeys into the river, but caution prevailed, he didn't want to win the battle only to lose the war. With the Bishop of Jacksonia presiding as an allegedly neutral third party, Obed and Jérôme brokered a peace that left the Royaume in control of most of the city; though Obed kept his grip on the choicest markets of Vieux Carré. The fledgling kingdom quickly expanded, adding several other towns and creating an entirely new aristocracy. These newly minted nobles took to the traditions quite handily. They also took to the failings, as evidenced when the young Royaume was nearly broken in two by a scandal caused by Jean-Napoleon Arceneaux, the heir to New Iberia. It seemed as if only the terror caused by the nearly supernatural reputation of James Saint Just could keep everyone in line. St. Just and Devereux spent the next few decades expanding along US-90; offering protection to the tiny survivor communities based in the ruins of various towns along the crumbling highway. Many of the kingdom's new subjects cited Swamper raids and encroachments as their biggest hassle. Armed with only limited information of the terrain off US-90 and the intense discipline and sterling group tactics instilled within them by St.Just; a section of Gendarmes set out to push the "savages," away from their new domains. After a bloody encounter with some seventy Swampers, the Royaume considered the matter closed, ignorant that the large band only represented a sliver of a much larger coalition of tribes. This ignorance would prove costly when a veritable legion of Swampers later lay siege to New Orleans. St.Just personally led the defense of the city, successfully driving the tribals off; but sustaining a blow to the Royaume's pride. The Royaume faced further troubles when Belasco Ui, one of St. Just's original recruits and Maréchal of New Orleans was exiled for "insubordination" (though in truth because the revelation of his unashamed transvestism offended some aristocrats) and decided to avenge himself by waging a one-man guerrilla war against the Royaume. He successfully killed a handful of Gendarme officers, bombed an ammo dump, and assassinated some of the aristocrats who ruined him before he was eventually slain by St.Just during an attempt on Devereux's life. The last great challenge faced by the Royaume was the plague of piracy in the 2270s perpetrated by the Court of the Bayou. The Royaume's expansion has slowed down considerably in the 2280s; as they desperately consolidate the "Ribbon," the stretch of cities along US-90. In 2281, Jérôme Devereux passed away from stress-related symptoms. His second son, Étienne was crowned as the next king. Activities & Interests The Royaume is interested in increasing its holdings, making the lands of Louisiana safe from malcontents and mutants, and keeping its aged cities above water. They assume power and profit will follow safety and security, and take a dim view of anyone who promotes anarchy. Thus so far their holdings follow the mostly submerged ribbon of US-90 from Tuloya to Vermilionville, and the communities there are relatively secure; but as their frontier exists on either side of the ruined highway, their attempts to expand take them into the deep swamps. Some of these more rural communities, these baronies, have lasted for years. Others are destroyed by monsters or enemies of the Royaume and swallowed back into the swamp. Within the strip of territory they've secured they keep the trade routes relatively safe for travelers and watch over the simple folk who hunt and work the land. Within their own communities the aristocracy own all the businesses and charge a toll to travelers entering Vieux Carré. The Roi and Director-General see a need to consolidate and secure their current holdings before they can hope to expand further north, where they eventually hope to take Boss Town and the rest of Louisiana. This is greatly complicated by the light presence of the Gendarmerie outside the larger towns, the fragile state of the baronies, and failings in leadership: the Roi is an inspirational figure to the kingdom at large and James Saint Just is a brilliant tactician who has led his men to victory after victory; but neither of them are particularly adept strategists, they haven't quite been able to translate their string of successes into the materialization of their long-term goals. Membership The Citizenry The Royaume offers protection to the people within its communities in exchange for fealty. The kingdom's citizens are somewhat restricted in their career choices as they are prohibited from owning businesses, the purview of the aristocracy. They tend to be domestics, farmers, foragers, hunters, laborers (working in aristocrat owned shops and warehouses. The Gendarmerie always accepts recruits from the peasantry, and some may be conscripted in times of need. There's not typically any way for a regular peasant to achieve title, though the Roi has discretionary power to ennoble anyone in the kingdom; so it can happen. Enlistment in the Gendarmerie is a peasant's best hope at title. The Court The Court is the administrative wing of the Royaume. The Roi and his aristocrats govern the kingdom's communities. As the Royaume is a feudal state, the Roi personally oversees Tuloya and its surrounding environs. He has divided "his," land among his vassals. The top man under the Roi is the Duc de Lafayette; the Royaume's second largest community and western boundary. Then there's the Comtes de Iberia, St. Marie, St. Martin, and Terrebonne; based respectively in New Iberia, Franklin, Morgan City, and Houma. Barring overriding instructions from the Roi; the Comte de Iberia and the Comte de St. Marie answer to the Duc de Lafayette. Underneath the Comtes are the Barons, who typically oversee tiny villages and camps scattered between the counties. There's a relatively high rate of attrition with the Barons and their holdings which are more vulnerable to mutated creatures, raiders, and swampers than the more established communities built on the ruins of the old world. Besides directing the labor of the peasantry and directing resources to The Big Easy and the cities to build up the kingdom's infrastructure; it is the responsibility of the aristocrats to secure recruits for the Gendarmerie. An outsider can find a place among the aristocracy by securing or creating a village, petitioning the Roi for Gendarmerie protection, and swearing fealty; resulting in the creation of a Barony. In this fashion there's actually greater social mobility for outsiders than peasantry. The Peerage The Peers are a select group of high ranking nobles and other people of distinction specially honored by the Roi. A position may or may not be hereditary. The Peers have the privilege of speedy entry into Tuloya without let or hindrance, and seats of honor during the royal coronation or other ceremonies and state functions. The Peers are... *Étienne Devereux, Roi de New Orleans and Baron de Tuloya. (Hereditary) *Gene Casson, Duc de Lafayette and Baron de Vermilionville. (Hereditary) *Harrison Webre, Comte de Terrebonne and Baron de Houma. (Hereditary) *The Comte de St. Marie and Baron de Franklin. (Hereditary) *Pierre-Martin Arceneaux, Comte de Iberia and Baron de New Iberia. (Hereditary) *Daniau, The Comte de St. Martin and Baron de Morgan City. (Hereditary) *Arthur Casson, Comte de Rochambeau and Baron de St. James. (Hereditary) *Monsignor Paschal Adrieux, Bishop of Jacksonia and Patriarch of New Orleans. (Honor held in perpetuity by the Bishopric) *Chevalier James Saint Just James St. Just, Director-General of the Gendarmerie. (Non-Hereditary) The Barons *Edgard Armistead, Baron of Golden Meadow. *Capitaine Monfort, Baron of Slidell, maintains a permanent camp in nearby Eden Isle due to the contested nature of his "city." Gendarmerie The Gendarmerie is the Royaume's military and police force. They guard Tuloya and the kingdom's other communities from the hazards of Louisiana. Tuloya and Vermilionville both have multiple Sections (16-25 Gendarmes) to protect them and execute the Roi's justice. The smaller cities typically rely on a single Section while the Baronies typically rely on a Team of 4 or 5 Gendarmes. The Gendarmerie is led by its Director-General, James Saint Just; who holds the noble rank of Chevalier which affords him high honor at Court (he need only bow before the Duc and Roi) but not much in the way of land. Beneath the Director-General is the Colonel de Lafayette followed by the Commandants of Iberia, St. Marie, St. Martin, and Terrebonne. Beneath the Commandants, the ranking structure briefly splits in two: in engagements with enemies of the Royaume and on patrols between the communities the Capitaines are in charge, but within the Baronies and especially in regards to law enforcement the Maréchals have jurisdiction. Beneath either of these are the Adjutants, though the Maréchals rarely have enough men under their direct command to warrant having one. Finally come the rank-and-file Gendarmes. Gendarmes achieve rank meritoriously and at the rank of Capitaine or Maréchals, they can establish a village at their own discretion. Doing so successfully of course leads to gaining the title of Baron. Commandants who do not elect to attempt to create a barony hold the title of Valet which entitles them to appear at court and command the same deference from commoners as a Baron. Category:Groups